I believe his message would be the same.

Please read just some of the words spoken from the lips of a prophetic messenger who promoted hope, love, grace, peace, justice and liberty for all, through both his words and his actions:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten....America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness--justice. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., speech, Detroit, Michigan, June 23, 1963.

Christ revealed through His words and actions that the Kingdom of God is all about love, grace, peace and fredom with race, gender, health, and economic equality for all.  He gave His life for people.

Christ followers do the same.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life in making a difference, and dreaming of the day when ALL people would be treated equally and justly.  His dream was a picture of God's Kingdom that he had discovered, and was willing to die for while revealing it with his words and actions.

What have you discovered that you are willing to die for?

The night before Dr. King was assassinated; he concluded his message titled “I Have Seen the Promised Land” with these words:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Jesus said "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12 ESV).

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. discovered a cause worth dying for. It was the cause of Christ in taking a stand for faith, hope, love, peace,  justice, equality and liberty for all.

It's not an easy path to walk, and it often times gets lonely, but Christ followers walk it and keep their eyes on Him.

The cause of Christ is worth living and dying.

Yes it is.

Amen.

Gregory A. Johnson is an author, pastor and the founder of www.LovingGodFellowship.org.